Brisbane is Getting Hit by a Major Weather Event

Can you see anything out the office window? Actually, did you even make it to work?

Brisbane awoke this morning to what’s being described as a “major weather event”, as the remnants of ex-Cyclone Debbie track south towards the Queensland capital. The still-rotating system is bearing significant rain and potentially damaging winds.

The Bureau of Meteorology Queensland weather services manager, Richard Wardle, warned in a press release that further fallout is expected from the system. “We've seen some extraordinary rainfall totals around the Central Coast,” he said. “It's important for people to also realise there's potential for damaging wind gusts [of] up to 120 kilometres per hour.”

Earlier this morning The Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) predicted between 70 millimetres and 150 millimetres of rain in Brisbane. But more than 100 millimetres has already fallen in some areas and BOM is now talking about up to 500 millimetres of rain in a 24 hour period across certain areas of south-east Queensland.

For Brisbane, the worst is expected to come this afternoon at around peak hour. If you’re on the late shift at work, authorities say don’t even bother going in. If you’re a small business, police recommend you close after midday. Otherwise, stay off the roads and stay inside. Schools have been closed across Brisbane as far west as Nanango (children already dropped off will be cared for but should be collected as soon as possible).

Lord Mayor Graham Quirk told Fairfax the intensity of the rainfall was key, noting creek flooding was a major concern (thankfully, the weather isn’t combined with a major high tide, making it less likely the Brisbane River will flood). “We can cope with a lot of rain, but it's a question of in what space of time that rainfall occurs,” Quirk said.

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